On Saturday, December 13 – the afternoon following their performance at Warehouse Live – the Secret Machines stopped by Houston's Cactus Music & Record Ranch for a special acoustic in-store performance. The night before, we'd caught their normal live show, which featured their moody space rock stylings in all its distorted glory. The next day, frontman Brandon Curtis and guitarist Phil Karnats both donned acoustic guitars (Curtis' still sported tags – a loaner or recent purchase, perhaps?), while drummer Josh Garza kept the beat using maracas, a tambourine and his rhythm-filled hands. The performance was a completely different experience from the Warehouse set – stripped-down, the Machines' music was subtler and almost gentle at times. The short set included a few songs from their new self-titled album, as well as a couple older songs. The acoustic format showed off a new side of the trio, one that we hadn't seen at previous live performances. We weren't the only ones enchanted by the set – Curtis' grandmother beamed from a chair near the stage as he dedicated the last song ("Sad and Lonely," a somewhat curious choice) to her. This makes me wonder if the group's decision to use a quieter, more toned-down approach on this day was related to her attendance. Whatever the reason, their fuzzy psych rock compositions translated surprisingly well into acoustic arrangements and I hope they continue to experiment with their softer side in the future.

View videos and photos from the Secret Machines' in-store performance after the jump